Only the Shadow Monarch could pull souls out of the abyss they had fallen into. The dragon recognized Jin-Woo's identity at a single glance. The king of the dead, wearing the guise of a human, was watching him with eyes full of majesty. The authority he held as a Monarch sent shivers through its entire body. But only for a moment. The dragon's gaze shifted further back. Then it saw the dumbfounded faces of humans staring at it with their mouths agape.
Humans... humans?
The dragon recalled the boundless malice it had carried toward humanity until the moment its breath was cut short. Along with that came the memory of the pain it felt when life was torn from it by human hands.
I'll kill... them all.
There. Reason snapped. As the dragon rose, a red glow began to pool in its eyes.
[All of you... I will kill every last one.]
The air inside the containment facility began to boil.
"Oh my God..."
The Director groaned. The space had been designed to accommodate the sleeping dragon's size. But the moment the dragon raised its head, the vast cavern suddenly seemed infinitely small. Crack! The dragon's skull hit the ceiling, shattering concrete.
"Wh-what is that?" "Don't tell me...?"
A red mass was gathering inside the dragon's open jaws. The red mass. The Director and Deputy Director had seen countless times on replay footage what that red mass could do. A panicked Adam grabbed the Director's shoulder and shouted.
"Director! We need to dodge—" "That's Kamish's breath! Where could we possibly run?!"
Once the crimson flash detonated, it was obvious that not just the containment facility but the entire Hunter Administration headquarters would collapse. There was nowhere to hide from the dragon's attack. Thud! One administrator, face drained of all color, collapsed as his legs gave out. The other two frantically punched the door lock's passcode, desperate to escape the corpse containment facility. But the Director and Deputy Director, who knew it was futile, stared blankly between Jin-Woo and the resurrected Kamish. KRAAOOM— the crimson light born of mana finally condensed into a blinding sphere. Right before the dragon exhaled its superheated breath to erase every "human" standing before it—
[Die!]
The tendons in Jin-Woo's neck stood out.
"Stop!"
The Director and his group, who had reflexively raised their arms to shield their eyes from the blinding light, slowly lowered their hands. When the light flooded the room, they had thought it was all over. But they had jumped to conclusions.
"How... how is this possible."
The flames were dying down from Kamish's mouth. The dragon that had once melted away the lives of over a hundred elite hunters with a single breath had just halted its attack at a single word from Hunter Sung Jin-Woo? Gulping, the Director stared at Jin-Woo with eyes still wide with shock. And then an even more astonishing sight nearly made his eyes pop out of his skull. Jin-Woo had spoken to Kamish.
"The mana crystal that was embedded in your head was removed a long time ago. You have no need to obey the Rulers' commands."
The Deputy Director, clinging to the Director's side, asked in a startled voice.
"Is—is Hunter Sung Jin-Woo speaking to it in monster language right now?" "...I don't know how to interpret what I'm seeing, either."
While everyone was paralyzed with shock, Jin-Woo quietly let out a sigh of relief in his mind.
Whew.
He had agonized over what to do for a brief moment, so he was glad the outcome was favorable. But. When he had felt that furious rage surge up from the dragon, even Jin-Woo had felt a genuine chill run down his spine.
Since when does one of my shadow soldiers have such a strong will?
It seemed the King of Giants had spoken the truth—the higher a being's rank, the more powerful its will. The dragon was stunned that it had so readily submitted to the new Monarch's command.
[So this is what it feels like to submit to the Shadow Monarch...]
The dragon lowered its posture and paid its respects to Jin-Woo. When the dragon moved, the people who had flinched let out sighs of relief. The dragon spoke softly, its nose nearly touching the ground.
[This humble servant who once served the Dragon Emperor offers his greetings to the new Monarch.]
Even within the guttural growl characteristic of monsters, there was a note of courtesy. Jin-Woo slowly approached the dragon. And placed his hand on top of its snout. The dragon gently closed its eyes, savoring its master's touch. An indescribable comfort flowed from its nose throughout its entire body. Jin-Woo could also feel the dragon's mood improve. The heart he had barely calmed began to pound wildly again. Thump-thump, thump-thump.
Kamish... that dragon Kamish is really my soldier...
A smile naturally spread across Jin-Woo's face. Adam, who had been too stunned to close his mouth at the unbelievable sight, noticed something and spoke to the Deputy Director.
"Deputy Director, isn't it wagging its tail right now?"
No, this was humanity's worst catastrophe, not some puppy—what nonsense was he spouting? The Deputy Director, who had been about to dismiss it as impossible, glanced toward Kamish's tail and let out a groan.
"Jesus..."
When Jin-Woo removed his hand, the tail wagging stopped. The dragon raised its head once more. "Kamish" was a name the human side had assigned to the dragon for convenience. Jin-Woo pondered what to name his new shadow soldier, then recalled what it had said when it greeted him.
"You served the Dragon Emperor?" [I did, Your Majesty.]
The dragon continued in its respectful tone.
[The master I served was the King of Storm Dragons, the Monarch of Destruction.] The King of the Dead, the Shadow Monarch...
And the King of Giants, the Primordial Monarch. Jin-Woo realized the master the dragon was referring to was one of the nine Monarchs the System had once told him about. But that wasn't what mattered right now. What he wanted to know was the dragon's true name. Only then could he name his shadow soldier accordingly.
"Then what was your nam—"
Jin-Woo couldn't finish his sentence. His eyes, looking up at the dragon, shook violently. The dragon's body was slowly crumbling away, like a sand castle dissolving in the wind.
[But, Your Majesty. I'm afraid I must take my leave now.] "What?"
Jin-Woo's Sensing stat resonated with the dragon's emotions. It was grief—pure, unadulterated grief. The dragon truly regretted what was happening.
[It seems I met my master too late.]
Not even the Shadow Monarch's power could leap over eight years. The dragon's mana, weakened from being trapped at the very edge of the abyss for far too long, dispersed into the air.
"System! Syste—m!"
Jin-Woo called out to the System in anguish, but as always, there was no response. Just as Jin-Woo could feel the dragon's emotions, the dragon could sense Jin-Woo's as well.
[I envy the king's soldiers who can serve their master for eternity.]
It was sincere. To a king who did not want to lose a soldier, the dragon left one final piece of advice.
[Your Majesty. There were four humans who borrowed the power of the Rulers. Please, be wary of them.]
Its form grew fainter and its voice faded with it.
[A brief moment to meet the new king... was an honor...]
Silence descended. Like a lie, the dragon's shadow vanished. And the lights that had been flickering returned to their original state. The Director, who had been holding his breath watching everything from start to finish, hurriedly looked toward the dragon's corpse. But nothing had happened to the dragon's body. The Director felt dazed, as if he had dreamed the whole thing. But. If this had all been a dream, then Hunter Sung Jin-Woo wouldn't be standing there with such a hollow expression on his face.
"..."
Jin-Woo kept his gaze fixed on the spot where the dragon's shadow had been for a long time. Eventually, a familiar "ding" sounded, and a System message appeared.
[Shadow Extraction has failed.] [The time elapsed since the target's death is too great. Further extraction is meaningless.] [The target's shadow has returned to the void of nothingness.]
The mechanical chimes rang out one after another. Ding, ding— he had never hated that sound so much before. Jin-Woo's tightly clenched fist trembled faintly. BOOM! When the enraged Jin-Woo slammed his fist into the floor, the building shook for a brief moment.
* * *
Jin-Woo returned to the hotel. Because Jin-Woo had been in a foul mood the entire time, Adam, who had been assigned to guide him, hadn't said a single word on the way back. Only after checking into the hotel on Jin-Woo's behalf did Adam finally get an opportunity to speak.
"While you're in the United States, I'll be your point of contact, Hunter Sung. Please feel free to reach out whenever you need anything."
Adam spoke with a bright smile, but the reply he got was cold.
"...Understood."
The muscles on Adam's smiling face went rigid.
H-he's terrifying.
It was the first time he learned how frightening it was to have a top-tier Hunter in a bad mood right in front of you. Given Jin-Woo's mood, the negotiation meeting was naturally postponed. Neither the Director nor the Deputy Director looked disappointed—they both seemed to have had their souls completely drained. Jin-Woo thought he'd at least get some sleep and headed for the elevator when—
"Oh?"
Woo Jin-Cheol, just coming out of the hotel entrance, spotted Jin-Woo and approached him.
"Hunter Sung. Why weren't you answering your calls?" "Ah... I was in a place with no signal for a while."
No one was allowed to use phones inside the Hunter Administration. Even guests were no exception—a necessary measure to protect classified information. If someone like Mrs. Seller's face were to be photographed, it would turn the entire Hunter Administration upside down. Woo Jin-Cheol scratched his forehead with his index finger and asked.
"Then did you meet Hunter Yoo Jin-Ho?" "Excuse me?"
A look of confusion appeared on Woo Jin-Cheol's face.
"Hunter Yoo left after receiving a call from Hunter Sung? He said Hunter Sung was waiting for him at the Hunter Administration." "I just came from there. What are you talking about?"
Adam, who had overheard the conversation, immediately confirmed the facts.
"Hunter Yoo Jin-Ho was not on the visitor list." "What? That can't be right. An S-rank Hunter came here personally two hours ago and took him."
Jin-Woo interjected.
"Which S-rank Hunter are you referring to?" "Hunter Hwang Dong-Su. He came to this hotel."
For some reason. Unlike the two men who were baffled, the moment Jin-Woo heard the name Hwang Dong-Su, a sense of foreboding washed over him.
Is this the Sensing stat's power too?
Noticing Jin-Woo's darkening expression, Adam pulled out his phone again.
"I'll try contacting Hunter Hwang Dong-Su's guild."
After a few rings, Laura, the dedicated manager for the high-ranking Hunters of the Scavenger guild that Hwang Dong-Su belonged to, picked up Adam's call. Adam introduced himself briefly and explained the situation. But contrary to his expectation that the other side would be just as flustered, the voice on the other end was calm.
—Does Hunter Sung Jin-Woo know about this?
Adam had only explained that Hunter Hwang Dong-Su took Hunter Yoo Jin-Ho, yet Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's name came up. Adam tilted his head and glanced at Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo shook his head. Adam nodded and quickly fabricated a response.
"Hunter Sung Jin-Woo is not aware yet. He was at the Hunter Administration, and Hunter Yoo Jin-Ho's party made inquiries about him there." —Then we'll look into it as quickly as possible.
The call ended there. Jin-Woo, who had been listening in silence, headed for the exit the moment the call was cut.
"Hunter Sung! The Scavenger guild said they'll look into it, so there should be news soon—!"
Adam hurriedly chased after Jin-Woo and rushed out of the hotel entrance, but Jin-Woo had already vanished.
"What...? Where did he go?"
Adam stared blankly down the road with a bewildered expression.
* * *
Jin-Woo moved to a quiet back alley, away from the bustling main streets, and dropped his concealment. An S-rank Hunter who had assumed his identity had taken Yoo Jin-Ho. And the guild that S-rank Hunter belonged to had simply said they would look into it without asking a single question before hanging up unilaterally.
Something's going on.
It couldn't be unrelated to the fact that the guild representative had immediately dropped his name. Jin-Woo's expression hardened. If this was someone looking for a fight, they had picked the wrong day. Jin-Woo issued his command.
[Find him.]
With over a thousand soldiers scattered and chasing after Yoo Jin-Ho's mana signature, they would locate him in no time. Swish, swish-swish— a thousand shadows detached from beneath Jin-Woo's feet and began moving swiftly in every direction.
* * *
Thomas surveyed the apartment interior with a grim expression. Inside the luxury apartment where Hwang Dong-Su should have been, the hunters Thomas had stationed to keep watch were foaming at the mouth and crumpled on the floor.
"Tch."
Thomas clicked his tongue and removed his trademark sunglasses.
"..."
When his harsh, scarred face was revealed, the subordinates who had accompanied him to the apartment turned pale. Thomas gritted his teeth and issued instructions in a low voice.
"Hwang Dong-Su... find him before Sung Jin-Woo does. By any means necessary—you must find him first."